GERONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Gerontology faculty have received grant funding from federal and private funders, including the National Institute on Aging, Health Resources and Services Administration, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Hitachi Foundation.
Research Areas
Housing and Formal Long-Term Care
Older adults today have a wide variety of housing options, from aging-in-place to retirement communities to assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Research by our core and affiliate faculty members addresses the quality of life for older adults in a variety of housing options.
This work examines where older adults live and what their experiences are in these settings, including how much control they have over their living environments, and identifies the factors that aid their ability to age-in-place. Faculty members explore issues related to frontline workers in formal long-term care settings, including satisfaction, retention and training among this essential workforce.
Diversity and Aging
The aging population is more now diverse than ever. The Gerontology Institute emphasizes issues of diversity in a variety of research programs. Research by our faculty members addresses issues of structural inequality and differential experiences of aging by race, ethnicity, social class, gender and sexual identity. In addition to exploring diversity in aging populations of the U.S., our faculty members also research issues of aging from a global perspective.
Health and Aging
Understanding and explaining the physical and mental health care needs of older adults and health care policy are core issues in the field of Gerontology. Our faculty members are engaged in a wide variety of research on health disparities, health care workforce, elder abuse and public health.
Ongoing Research
Meaningful Engagement and Quality of Life Among Assisted Living Residents With Dementia
Dr. Candace L. Kemp and colleagues were awarded a $3.37-million grant in 2018 by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health to conduct a five-year study, “Meaningful Engagement and Quality of Life among Assisted Living Residents with Dementia” or the “ME Project.”
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Improving Dementia Care in Georgia Nursing Homes
The Gerontology Institute received a $1.58 million grant to support training nursing home staff across the state to improve care for residents with dementia. The training emphasizes new trauma-informed approaches and how to reduce the use of antipsychotic drugs to manage residents' behavioral expressions.
Disseminating and Implementing Behavioral Chronic Disease Management Programs through Black Greek Letter Organizations
The organizational readiness for change theory posits that when organizations in need of collective behavior change have high levels of preparedness, successful implementation of the change is likely to occur.
Sex Educational Resources and Medical Advice About Sex for Older Adults
We are engaged in conducting several discourse analyses of sex educational resources for older adults and medical literature that discusses older adults and sex.
Past Research
To see a list of past research projects of the Gerontology Institute, click on the button below. For a list of all research projects, contact us.
Are You Caring for a Family Member or Friend Living With Dementia?
Does Your Person Say or Do Things That You Didn’t Expect?
Improving Care through Improv: Promoting Mastery in the Moment
Is a study that tests a program designed to teach caregivers novel techniques to respond to unexpected or challenging care situations.
Eligibility Includes:
- Being 18 years of age or older
- Being a caregiver to a family member or friend with dementia
- Being able to attend in-person sessions
in Atlanta
Participants will:
- Attend four weekly 2-hour in-person classes
- Fill out three questionnaires
- Attend one 90-minute in-person focus group
- Receive $75.00 for each of the five in-person
sessions attended
If you’re interested in participating please get in touch with Candace Kemp at [email protected] or by calling 404-413-5216.
The National Institute on Aging funds the study. Dr. Kemp is the lead researcher.
Contact Us
The Gerontology Institute
Office Hours (Available Remotely):
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Office Hours (In Person):
Thursdays
12:30 - 4:00 p.m.
And by Appointment
Office/Delivery Address
One Park Place, Suite #605
Atlanta, GA 30303
Social Relationships, Families and Caregiving
Social Relationships, Families, and Caregiving
Increasing longevity means that social relationships, including those with family and friends, are lasting longer than ever before. At the same time, longer lives alongside changing gender expectations and patterns of marriage and divorce also may require individuals to forge new relationships across the life course and into later stages of life.
Research by our core and affiliate faculty members explores social relationships and family life, broadly defined, and examines sex, intimacy and older couples, peer relationships, informal caregiving for older adults and intergenerational ties, including grandparents raising grandchildren.